The Volunteer Chronicles
by Premedpoet
Summary: Hilarious misadventures with a painful back story. Sounds like all of our favorite stories, right? Right. Here, Jack and Rapunzel are volunteering at the same hospital in an AU where things aren't as fun and lighthearted as they seem.
1. Chapter 1

Rapunzel briefly looked up from the file she was sorting through as Jack whizzed by, steering a wheelchair with Annie at break neck speeds.

"Be careful, Jack!" She called after him. He flashed a smile and slowed down, carefully turning the wheel chair to push Annie back to her room.

"What are you talking about? I'm always careful," Jack says confidently. "Aren't I, Annie?"

The little girl looks back at him and giggles before eagerly nodding in agreement.

Rapunzel could still remember the feeling of the wind on her face as Jack would steer her through crowded halls, nurses yelling at them as they cut corners and swerved around IV poles and crash carts. The way she laughed at the adrenaline, the way his eyes widened and crinkled whenever he elicited a giggle from her.

Rapunzel's forehead creased before giving a reluctant smile and returning to the file before her. She punched a few codes into the computer and filtered through mumbling under her breath.

"Where is it…I know you graduated…but where…AH!" Rapunzel lifted a photocopy of a diploma with relish. She turned back to the computer and looks down to find that the page disappeared. She looked up bleary eyed to see Jack holding the paper from across the desk.

"What are you doing?" Jack asks raising an eyebrow at her over the paper.

"I'm auditing files."

"And that is-"

"I go through and look for verifications, certifications, credentials…"

"Wow" Jack interposes. "That sounds awful."

"It's not so bad," she mumbles, lightly taking the page back from him. His eye brows shot up as he stared down at her. He leaned across the desk to get a glimpse of the computer screen.

"I do not envy your job."

"Well," she says, returning to the screen, "Not everyone can recreate Daytona 500 for volunteer hours. Some of us actually have to work." She looks up at Jack to give him a brief smirk.

"Annie's fine! She's bored, like me. And you."

His tone made her pause, eyes scrutinizing the mischievous look that's twisted his features.

-2 minutes later-

Her hands cover her eyes, only daring to peak through her fingers as she hurtles down the hall. Jack laughs and whoops as they turn a corner, just missing the edge, as the wheelchair balances on the outside wheel.

"Sl-slow down, Jack!" Rapunzel begs, only egging him on to go faster. She stifles a scream as they nearly scrape the side of a dining cart, the nurse looking on with disapproval. This was nothing like what she remembered.

"Sorry!" Rapunzel calls, wondering how on earth she'll ever explain this to her supervisor. Jack continued to laugh as he steered her clear of a few kids in wheel chairs who laugh and point as they near a closing elevator. Realizing that he is not going to slow down, Rapunzel squeezed herself into a ball, bracing her body for impact. A second later, she's brought to a screeching halt, and the friendly ding of the elevator signals her safety. She takes her arms away from her face to see the inside of the elevator and a sweaty Jack smiling down at her.

"Better than paperwork, huh?" He asks in between pants. She looks up at him and gives a faint nod, still caught in the moment before a nonexistent impact. His eyes are lit by the rush of endorphins and his cheeks are flushed as he smiles down at her and surveys the buttons lining the right side of the elevator. He punched a floor at random and the elevator shoots upward as Rapunzel gives him a quizzical look.

_The roof?_

As she contemplates all the ways he can get her killed from that height, he leaned against the wall of the elevator and looked at her worried expression.

_She's changed so much since the first time I saw her._ He thinks fondly, remembering that spunky little girl who was constantly jumping off of the furniture in the kids play room in the hospital. Her hair was long, even then, but from the several rounds of chemo, it started falling out in patches. She would run to him, tears streaming from her cheeks, clutching a wad of the golden locks in her tiny fist.

"**Look!" She'd said around the hiccups. "It's- it's falling out!" She ran her arm under her nose, and looked to him. He knelt down to where she was gripping the hair and looked her in the eyes. **

"**That's a good thing, Punz. It means that the medicine is working."**

"**But-but- what if it never grows back?"**

**He smiled at her and drew out a purple bandana with a golden sun in the center. **

"**Then you'll wear this. And you'll always be the prettiest girl, because you've got the sun on your side." **

**She took the bandana thoughtfully before giving him a wobbly smile and wiping a stray tear from her face. He took the bandana from her hands and wrapped it around her head, covering the spots that were rapidly thinning out. **

"**There. Now you can't even tell." **

**Rapunzel put a small pink hand to her head, her mouth a perfect O as she felt the smooth material rub against her palm. She gave him a dazzling smile before wiping the last tear from her face. He held out his hand to take the wad of hair she willingly offered. **

"**Alright, now let's play a game."**

Jack rubbed the back of his head as he looked at Rapunzel's full head of hair, golden and longer than ever. Looking at her now, you'd never know that she'd fought against a rare childhood cancer. The tell-tale bruising pattern was gone from her arms and legs, her face had lost its pale complexion with dark circles under her eyes. He didn't think that he would ever forget the sight of her walking to see him late at night in the play room. She was gripping an IV pole, wheeling it around expertly while a bag filled with fluids pumped into her constantly. She knocked on the door and he stopped putting away toys to open it to the pitiful sight. She looked so lost and helpless, but she gave him a brilliant smile, like he was the sun that shone on her bandana.

Rapunzel looked up to see him staring at her.

"What is it?" She asked.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Nothing, just thinking."

"Of?" she prodded. It was that look. That look that showed how completely lost he was in his own mind. How absorbed he would become in his thoughts and memories. Sometimes she would catch him staring at her like that, a squirm inducing stare that pierced through her.

"How it's a crime that you've been stuck behind a desk all day."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and sighed.

"How are you feeling?" He wondered, the ghost of the patient she once was, flashing momentarily before his eyes.

"Fine," she replied with a shrug. She wrapped her hands around her arms, biting the inside of her cheek. She carefully adjusted the sleeves of her shirt and heard the soft ping of the elevator as the doors opened to reveal the top floor of the hospital. The ceiling was glass, allowing sunlight to stream in through, clean and bright. A small door at the far side led to an outside garden that the employees were allowed to use. It was virtually the only 'kid-free' zone in the expansive children's hospital. Jack took the handles and pushed the chair to the door, paused to enter the code, and opened the door. Rapunzel wheeled herself over the bump in the door frame and breathed in the cool air. She stood up and walked over to where the bench was, surrounded by copious amounts of dog roses. She ran her hand over the back of the wrought iron bench and then followed the stone path through the thicker part of the garden. The shrubs and trees were more overgrown in this part, but their complex mix only improved the sight. Jack hesitantly followed her to the edge of the roof, leaning against the wall and looking at the city below. Far off he could see a small chapel and cemetery, a chilling reminder that not everyone gets out alive. Rapunzel leaned against the rail and sighs before turning to face Jack.

"Listen, Jack, I-"

"Do you remember the bandana I gave you?" He interjects. She looks at him startled and nods. "Really? I mean you were so young that I assumed…" Jack lets his speech trail off into the wind as Rapunzel fixes him with a serious expression.

"I've always kept it. It meant so much to me then, and now…Well." Rapunzel fishes into her pocket and brings her hand out, clutching the bandana, a corner peeking out from her fist. Jack's eyebrows raise and he gives her a warm smile, but she looks down avoiding his gaze. She fingers the smooth material before looking back up at him, her face grim.

"I always kept it because it was special. And now it looks like I'll need it again."

Jack stared at her, not daring to understand her implications.

"What are you talking about? You're fine, I mean look at you-"

"No, Jack, I," Rapunzel takes a deep breath and looks out to the city before returning to his horrified gaze. "The doctors always said that it could come back. They said that remission would hold for a while, but that it could relapse later on, more forcefully."

Jack tried to find words to calm her down. It's been _years_, she can't possibly be…she seems so healthy. So _right_.

"You don't know that it will happen. I mean, you've made it this far…" he trails off as she bites her bottom lip nervously. She looks down and brings up her sleeve. Jack stares at her arm, taking in the all too familiar bruise pattern.

"How long have you known?" He asks quietly, afraid that speaking too loud would break her.

"A few weeks. My doctor did some blood tests to confirm, and I got the results back yesterday." Rapunzel moves to cover up her forearm when Jack gently grips her wrist. He stares at the black and blue splotches before gently kissing the inside of her wrist and staring into her eyes. Rapunzel feels the tears start to gently overflow as Jack wraps her into a warm embrace. His arms are gentle against her, afraid to cause more bruising to her delicate body. He feels her body move as she quietly sobs, her tears making a wet spot in his scrubs. Jack removes her from his chest to look into her eyes.

"Punz, we've done this once, ok? We can do it again."

She nods weakly before he leans in to kiss her forehead and wrap her in another hug.

"Let's get you back inside," he murmurs into her hair. He feels her nod against his chest and he guides her to the wheel chair.

"I promise to go slower this time," he jokes as he wheels her back to the elevators. She leans her head against his hand and looks up at him with a watery smile. Jack stopped the wheelchair and walked around to face her. He kneeled down and took the bandana from her hand. He wrapped it around her head, her golden hair full for now.

"You'll always be the prettiest girl because you've got the sun on your side," he quotes, a sad smile lifting the edge of his mouth.

Rapunzel smiles and asks, "Do you want to play a game?"

He breaks into a full grin before returning to the back of the chair and pushing it towards the elevator.

A soft ding is heard as the doors slide open. Jack steers her in and pushes the button before Rapunzel grabs his hand.

"This doesn't change anything, you know," he says, looking intently at her eyes. She nods mutely but doesn't seem convinced.

"I just don't want to hold you back," she admits. "This isn't going to be easy for us. If you want to leave, I completely understand."

Jack shakes his head before cupping his hand around her cheek. She smiles sadly, knowing that he could still change his mind.

"I just want to be where you are," he whispers as the elevator slows. The doors opened and he slowly wheeled her back down the familiar hall back to her desk. The nurse pursed her lips at them as they pass by a slower pace than before. She registers the serious expressions on their faces and writes it off to a couple's quarrel. Back at her desk, Rapunzel lifts herself from the chair and walks over to brush her fingers over the open files. She gives them a somber look and shakes her head.

"I'm just so tired," she mumbles to herself. Jack hears and walks away briskly to return the wheelchair to the supply closet. Rapunzel looks up at his rapid departure and sighs into her chair.

_And so it begins_. She thinks sadly to herself. She had to tell him. After all that they've been through, she owed him the truth. She rubbed her eye before returning to the computer screen to continue working. Rapunzel shifted through the open file, trying to focus on the jumble of documents before her. Her head snapped up as she hears Jack roll a desk chair over to where she's sitting.

"Okay," he says determined, "how do you do this?"

"You don't have to," she begins but Jack silences her with a raised hand.

"I insist," he says with a smile. She gratefully returns to it before guiding him through the process. They work in companionable silence as he sifts through the papers while she enters the information into the computer. Hours later, Jack rubs his shoulder ruefully.

_No one said that working at a desk would hurt physically. How does anyone do this five days a week? It's maddening!_ His thoughts, always churning, quieted as he looked at Rapunzel working peacefully, a thoughtful diligence about her. She felt his gaze and looked up.

"Bored?" she asks with a smile. He rolled his eyes and smirked.

"It's no game of freeze tag," he says teasingly, handing her a paper. She smiles at him before accepting the page. As she took it, her sleeve shifted and the bruises became visible again. He noticed but failed to comment. She followed his gaze down and tugged at her sleeve, hiding the truth.


	2. Chapter 2

-2 hours later-

They walked home in a comfortable silence, Rapunzel going out of her way to avoid cracks in the sidewalk. Jack's eyes followed her, bemused. She was fascinating to watch when she wasn't aware of the attention. Her ears pricked at the sounds of the children playing and the cars rolling by in the lazy summer heat. Her nose crinkled as they passed an open dumpster and Jack had to suppress a laugh at her expression. She smiled at him before returning her gaze to the sidewalk and buildings. Jack reached out a hand and gripped hers firmly. She smiled to herself and squeezed back, eyes skimming over the brick buildings and trees lining the trees, trying to memorize every detail. The way vines snaked around the trunk of a tree, the way the buildings seamlessly fit together, snuggly borrowing bricks from its neighbors. The perfect summer afternoon was suddenly spiked by the sound of sirens tearing down the street. An ambulance tore down the street quickly followed by a fire truck. Rapunzel stopped briefly to watch, face dropping at the sight. Even the seemingly perfect days held tragedies. Her grip tightened on Jack's hand and he returned the pressure to comfort her. They continued walking and slowed at Rapunzel's stoop. She looked up to the house and then back at Jack.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said quietly. He nodded and watched her walk up the steps to the front door. She drew a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. With a final wave he turned and back tracked to where his apartment was, around the corner. He reached the corner before he heard a scream and Rapunzel running from the house, the screen door falling behind her.

"Jack! Jack! She's, oh my God, Jack!" Rapunzel shrieked as she reached him, panicking breathlessly.

"What's wrong? Rapu- Rapunzel, what is it?"

She wildly looked about, unsure of what to do.

"She's dead, Jack. Dead. I walked in and called for her and she didn't answer so I walked upstairs and found her on her bed, sleeping. But she wasn't sleeping! I walked over to her and her skin was so cold, Jack! I- I don't know what to do," she said, obviously beyond comprehension.

"Calm down, I'm going to call 9-1-1. Just, wait here."

She nodded, barely hearing him as he took his phone from his pocket, quickly dialing. He walked a few paces away from her as he spoke with a person at the call center. He quickly gave over the information and turned back to Rapunzel.

"They're on their way," he reassured as she walked in small circles before settling upon the stairs on her porch. He followed her and sat, unsure of what to do or say. He settled for just putting his arm around her and she inched closer to him, leaning into his side. She closed her eyes and for the second time that day, he felt her tears stain his scrubs. He absentmindedly rubbed his hand against her arm, consoling her in the only way he could. The sound of an ambulance racing towards the house sent shivers through her body. Still hiding her face in his side, she tried to draw up the rest of her strength to face the medical team that would soon spring from the ambulance. She unlatched herself from him and looked up as the ambulance came to a screeching halt in front of them. Several paramedics moved towards them and Rapunzel opened her mouth to explain, but fell silent, the words trapped beneath the lump in her throat. Jack explained the situation to the one in charge as the other two ran into the house. The woman nodded curtly, having heard the same from the 9-1-1 operator and got the stretcher out of the back of the ambulance. A police car parked on the opposite of the street, and the officer jogged over to them. Rapunzel took a one look at him before she put her hands over her eyes as Jack's arms engulfed her. The officer spoke with the paramedic as the two came from the house and took in the stretcher, coming back with an unmistakable black bag containing the only family tie Rapunzel had left. The officer jogged back to the cruiser to talk on the radio, giving a full report of what happened. He returned as one of the paramedics came over and whispered to Jack.

"Likely cause of death was cardiac arrest. The coroner will do a full autopsy to confirm but that's what we believe." Jack nodded, murmuring a thank you to them. The paramedics gave a brief sad look to the figure hidden within his arms. The sight of grief was always different, but the pain tasted the same. Swallowing back the acid, the paramedic nodded before entering the ambulance and giving the go ahead to return to the hospital. The officer stepped up to the pair and asked if she had a place to stay for a while. Jack nodded and the officer put a hand on his shoulder. Like the paramedics, this sight was all too familiar to him. Voices over the radio intercom informed him of other happenings and the officer gave a final nod before jumping into the cruiser and racing to the next site.

"They're gone," Jack breathed into her hair. Rapunzel nodded and numbly removed herself from his arms. Her face was blank with grief, ghosts haunting her stare. Jack gently took her hand to guide her towards his apartment. She followed in a daze, unconscious of her surroundings. The once vibrant flame, extinguished with only wisps of smoke left. They walked in a somber silence, a harsh replica of the comfortable silence they usually enjoyed. The air was empty and the sun sank below the earth, as though it too needed to grieve in private. Jack knew that her relationship with her mother had been complicated, but despite all of that, she still felt hollowed out. The smallest of breezes made her shiver. The earth suddenly seemed desolate and cold, a small remnant of the beautiful world she had grown up in. Images flashed behind her eyes of the years she had spent with her mother in that house. Every fight, every tear, every lonely night seemed to amplify the loss even more. A mother, even an abusive one, was a mom. Rapunzel could feel herself reliving every heated argument and the words were like acid in her throat. She regretted every moment she spent hating her mom. All she could see were the times when she would glare at her, wishing that she could just run away. But this… this was more than she had ever wished upon her mother. The loss was crushing her. She didn't even register where she was until Jack drew a key from his pocket and put it in the lock. He swung the door wide and guided her in, only pausing to turn on a light.

"Sorry about the mess," he mumbled as she took in her surroundings. The door opened to the living room, the hall to the left leading to his room and bathroom as well as a small guest room. To the right, a small kitchen was visible. Jack took her to the kitchen and sat her down at the small orange table. He cleared off the papers that were strewn across it and left to dispose of them. He returned to see her staring ahead of her, her mind a million miles away. Her face was impossibly pale in the kitchen light, water marks trailing down her cheeks. Jack put a glass of water in front of her before turning to the sink and rubbing a hand on the back of his head. He looked over his shoulder at her before turning and washing the pile of dishes in front of him.

Rapunzel registered the smell of the dish soap and the sound of the air conditioning clicking on momentarily before her memories overtook her senses again. Her head bowed, allowing the tears to fall directly onto the table, the droplets hydrogen bonding to each other until there was a singular puddle on the surface. Jack finished washing and noted the small pond she had produced. Unsure of what to say, he walked to his room and deftly changed out of his scrubs, thinking about how different the world was since he had put them on that morning.

_Eight hours makes a hell of a difference._ Jack thought bitterly. He had always wanted to help her ever since the day she ran into the playroom and tackled him without so much as an introduction. Now here she was, cancer relapsing and without a family. _You're her family_, a voice whispered to him from the back of his mind. _How can I ever help her?_ He tugged on his well-worn hoodie amidst pictures of how it should be: the two laughing under a canopy of trees, snowball fights that dissolve into giggles and hot chocolate, the two of them lying on a blanket pointing out stars and constellations. Jack shook his head, remembering the grief stricken look on her face. It blotted out all the joy from his previous thoughts and he took a deep breath before returning to the kitchen. Rapunzel was in the same position as before and Jack bit his lip before going into the fridge and looking at his options. A few eggs, some hot sauce, a questionable carton of milk, half a stick of butter, some wilted lettuce, and a hunk of cheese stared back at him as he sighed under his breath. He brought out the eggs, cheese, butter, and hot sauce and decided that it would have to do. He took a bowl and frying pan from the cupboard and carefully placed them on the counter. He drew a fork from the drawer and cracked an egg against the rim of the bowl, the familiar steps putting him into auto pilot. He swiftly cracked open a few more eggs, the yolk spilling into the bowl. His muscles automatically cut off a piece of the cheese and sliced it until it was in small strips that would cook into the eggs. Once he set the frying pan on the stove and added a hunk of butter to it, he returned to the bowl and added the cheese and hot sauce, careful not to make it too spicy. Satisfied with the mixture, he poured it into the pan where the butter was softly sizzling. Jack fished a spatula out of the back of one of the drawers and started poking at the eggs, checking to make sure that they weren't burning.

Rapunzel snapped out of her thoughts as she smelled the eggs happily cooking in the pan. Her eyes drifted over to Jack's frame which was worriedly poking at the eggs, his back to her. She looked at the puddle on the table and poked her finger in, dragging the water outward. A few strokes later and a watery sun shone on the table top. Rapunzel looked down at it sadly before returning her gaze to Jack. Was he actually _cooking_? She took a deep, albeit ragged breath and Jack's ears pricked up at the sound. He turned and gave her a small smile when their eyes met. Rapunzel blinked before biting down on her lower lip, unsure of what to think or feel.

_How do you just go on when everything is falling apart?_ Rapunzel looked back down at the table and brought her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs. She laid her forehead against her knees and closed her eyes, willing her mind to shut out the world. Emotions shot through her so fast she barely had time to register them before they flew away again. Anger. Greif. Pain. Lonliness. Emptiness. Guilt. She turned it into a small mantra as she took each in its turn, examining the emotion thoroughly before letting it go. Anger. Grief. Pain. Lonliness. Emptiness. Guilt. And yet, she felt something deeper, an overwhelming sense of hope. She finally decided that it was relief, and as soon as she could name it, taste it, allow it to echo through her, she filed it away with the others. Relief. Shouldn't relief feel…better? Somehow it only stirred up more guilt until she gave up on grasping it and looked up to see Jack neatly taking the eggs out of the pan and placing them on hard plastic plates. He neatly slid one of the plates in front of her before sitting across from her and digging in. Rapunzel picked up her fork and started poking at the eggs. Jack looked up, conscious of her hesitance.

"They're safe, I promise," he said, lightly. She looked up at him, his mouth quirked up on one side. She tried to smile back, only managing to half-heartedly nod. Jack's grin disappeared as he looked back down at his own plate.

"You should eat," he sighed.

"I'm just not that hungry," she whispered. Jack nodded and bit his lip. He pushed his eggs around on his plate, watching the shapes change until he found a picture.

"I'm so sorry, Rapunzel," he said, keeping his voice low to match the somber tone in the kitchen. He put his hand on the table, silently reaching for her. She stared at the hand before placing her own in his. He squeezed it softly, hoping beyond hope that she would understand just how much he knew what she was going through. She looked up at him and their eyes locked, reading each other's pain. Finding their thoughts so clearly mirrored only made it worse. A tear spilled over and she brushed it away quickly.

_And what about Jack?_ She thought to herself. _What does this mean for us?_

Rapunzel sighed and took her hand from Jack's to pick up her fork and try to force down the eggs. As miserable as she was, she couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling from inside. Or was that just the guilt, eating her from the inside out? Rapunzel ate, determined to stifle the feeling with the only accessible means. Eggs.

Jack watched her eat with a hunger that ran deeper than visceral needs, and returned to his plate. She finished first, scarfing down the last of the eggs with a grimace. It didn't quite get rid of the guilt, but it eased it for now. Jack could sense that she needed space to think. He rinsed off the plates and left them in the sink for later.

"Would you mind if I took a shower?" she asked, as Jack turned from the sink.

"Do you mind smelling like me?" he joked. She shook her head no, a soft expression breaking through the hardened mask of grief. "Then the shower is yours. You can borrow some of my clothes for tonight."

Jack led her to the small bathroom that lay across the hall from his room before disappearing behind his closed door. She gratefully eased the door closed and turned to face her reflection in the mirror over the sink. The light purple under her eyes had darkened and she looked as though she had aged ten years since the morning. She peeled her clothes off before stepping into the shower and eyeing the bottles on the shelf. He may not have the light floral scents that she was used to, but his smell was comforting. After a minute of staring at the foreign nozzle, she managed to turn the water on. She felt it heat up until the steam in the shower was nearly suffocating her. Rapunzel drew in slow breaths and switched it to the showerhead. She relaxed into the heat of the water and grabbed the bottle that supposedly was a combination of shampoo _and_ conditioner.

_Men_. She thought fondly before squeezing out a glob and rubbing it into her scalp. For a second she forgot where she was. All she knew is that she was warm, safe, and surrounded by the smell of Jack. The sound of a door closing snapped her back into focus. She poked her head around the shower to see a bundle of clothes lying on the floor, just inside of the door. She smiled slightly, before rinsing out the shampoo. Jack would always take care of her. He was so much more than a best friend from childhood. He was her lifeline. He was always there, ready to throw a buoy or to put her on his shoulders. Rapunzel shoved her head under the water, blocking out thoughts that she shouldn't have on a day like this. Everything always came back to Jack.

Jack slipped out the front door after putting the clothes in the bathroom. He wanted to get food before she got out and he could tell that this would be a long shower. He put his key back into his pocket before pulling on his hood to block out the wind. It was unseasonably cool as Jack walked to the corner store, intent on getting something decent for her. He heard the chirp as he entered the store, the fluorescent lighting momentarily blinding him. Jack put his hood down before grabbing a small cart and pushing it into the first aisle. He treaded slowly down the aisle wondering what she would eat. Fruit, he decided and scanned the walls. He found the bins at the far end and walked over. Peaches, plums, apples, oranges, pears, bananas, and watermelons greeted him as he edged closer. He grabbed one of each and then headed down the next aisle. Twenty minutes later he checked out, hoping that he had found something that she liked. The chocolate was an afterthought, but he decided that if it could solve other problems it might take the edge off at least. He got a few items that caused the cashier's eyebrows to rise, but she made no comment on the feminine products and floral soap, to which Jack was eternally grateful. The little chirp signaled his departure as he made his way home.

Home, he thought, a pang going through his chest. This is how it should be. Rapunzel showering while he gets groceries, eating dinner together and laughing under the covers...it was what home should be. The images brought a flash of warmth to his cheeks that spread down his neck.

Rapunzel stepped out of the shower, a soft towel wrapped tightly around her. She shivered slightly in the absence of the hot water while she walked to the bundle of clothes. Jack may be skinny, but he was tall. Rapunzel rolled up the legs of the sweatpants several times before they were wrapped snugly around her ankles. She threw the blue hoodie on, smiling at Jack's peculiar taste in clothing. He had to have at least five of the same blue hoodie. She had just swept her hair up into a bun to keep it off of her neck when she heard Jack enter the apartment and close the door softly. She put the towel back before opening the door quietly and poking her head out of the door. Jack was in the kitchen, food covering the countertops. He stood in front of the open fridge, a hand rubbing the back of his head as he figured out how to organize it. Rapunzel hugged her arms and stepped into the kitchen.

Jack spun around on his heel, letting the fridge door close behind him.

"Hey," he said, his cheeks flushing slightly at the sight of her in his clothes. The hoodie was big on her despite his own small frame, but the pants were laughably larger, the cuffs rolled up to her ankles. He couldn't stop staring at her in them, images from dreams breaking through his subconscious. He could see them on the couch, her blissfully asleep in his arms. He saw her smiling at him in the first rays of light on a weekend. He saw her bouncing a little bundle in her arms late at night, cooing softly. Jack stopped himself, swallowing back the acid that crept up his throat.

_Not now_, he thought angrily. _She needs to recover and all you can do is daydream. Get a grip!_

"Hey," she said quietly, taking in the food that covered the counters. "You went shopping?" she surmised.

"Yeah. It was necessary. I'm not used to having a houseguest," he finished lamely. Rapunzel brought her lips in and nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice rasping with emotion. Before she could say anything else Jack embraced her tightly. He absorbed the shuddering of her body as she fought against the pain.

_I should be relieved_, she thought. _So why can't I stop crying?_

Rapunzel took a hesitant step back before addressing Jack. 

"I should probably go to bed," she said, not trusting herself to speak above a hushed tone. Jack nodded as she turned to go to the guest room.

"Jack?" she said, turning around. He looked up to find her eyes staring into his. "Thank you."

He nodded again, biting his tongue to keep himself from telling her everything, from running to her and holding her until the pain vanished from her. Jack settled for just watching her close the door behind her as he turned back to the kitchen to put away the rest of the food.

That night, Jack tossed and turned, his frustration mounting as sleep eluded him. Thunder rolled overhead and lighting lit up the sky, bright flashes illuminating jagged pieces of his room. He punched his pillow before throwing it over his head to clear the noise. His thoughts crept up on him despite his best efforts to shove them down. Jack groaned softly at his inability to get any rest and removed the pillow, only to toss it to the side of the room. He flipped over and sat up, squinting at his alarm clock. The red glare of the letters read 3:02 AM. Jack rubbed a weary hand over his eyes, counting the hours until he had to wake up for his shift at the hospital. Disgruntled he fell back and brought the blanket over his head. He closed his eyes and began listing patient information to make good use of the time since sleep seemed impossible. As he slowly drifted to sleep, the details of room 6's injuries floating through his mind, he thought he heard a soft knock at the door. He poked his head out and waited for any movement or sign that he hadn't imagined it. The same soft knock was repeated and Jack got up and treaded to the door, the carpet cushioning his footfalls. He opened the door slowly to see Rapunzel standing there, evidence of her sleepless state written all over her face as well.

"I couldn't sleep," she explained softly. Jack nodded, before stepping aside to let her in the room. She took a curious glance around the room, eyes roving over the pile of laundry and various items strewn about. She gently sat on the side of the bed and pushed the sleeves of the hoodie up, exposing the bruises. Jack's eyes widened, he had completely forgotten that soon Rapunzel would be a patient herself.

"She didn't know that I," she began softly, eyes staring into Jack's. He walked over to the bed and sat beside her. "I was going to tell her only when it got serious. You know how she hates the hospital."

Jack nodded, too familiar with how her mother would be tense and curt with people who inquired about Rapunzel's health. All the nurses knew that she was abusive, but with the bruises from the cancer, how could they prove it? Rapunzel never let on, except by the dimming of her eyes when her mother was near. Her whole demeanor always changed from a vibrant ray of light to a softly burning candle.

"I don't know what made me think of it, but what if . . . what if I had told her? If she had been in the hospital with me then maybe—" Rapunzel cut off, not daring to voice the truth.

"No," Jack said firmly with a shake of the head. He took Rapunzel's hand in both of his and stared into her apologetic eyes. "There is nothing you could have done differently. She wouldn't have done anything about your condition until you got seriously ill. And you… she would have hidden you in that house. Right now you'd be," Jack stopped, aware of the tears brimming in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face in his shoulder.

"Does it ever stop hurting?" she asked. Jack sighed and attempted to answer, "You'll always feel the absence. The hole never goes away completely. It's like a scab. New skin may grow over, but it will never be what it once was. There will always be the scar." Rapunzel nodded and Jack put his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer.

"Thank you, Jack," she whispered, "You didn't have to do any of this."

"Yes," he breathed, "I did. You're my best friend. I would do anything for you. I just wish that I could make you feel better. I feel so helpless right now."

Rapunzel shook her head, her face still pressed against his shoulder.

"Right now, I just need you to be here for me. Just, exist."

Jack kissed her forehead before laying his cheek on top of her head and closing his eyes. The two stayed like this until Jack heard Rapunzel's breathing slow down, soft snores emitting from her sleeping figure. He chuckled and carefully moved her so that she was laying down, his pillow under her head. He drew up the covers and draped them over her, fearful of her getting too cold. She stirred, but didn't wake, mumbling incoherently in her sleep. Jack smiled before grabbing another pillow and carefully laying down on the bed beside her. He watched her sleeping face, so peaceful and free of the pain that plagued her waking self. The longing to reach out and stroke her hair, so soft and spilling around her pillow was unbearable. The moon shone through the window, giving her already golden hair an eerie glow. As he watched her, he dreamed of watching her sleep every night, watching her move and mumble through dreams and nightmares alike. He imagined her waking in the early hours to calm the baby or to get a glass of water. He could see her rubbing sleep from her eyes each morning, her hair a bedraggled mess from tossing and turning. Jack bit the inside of his cheek and flipped over in an attempt to sleep. Even without seeing her, the images flashed before him. Even more frustrated, his imagination took him down a sinister path. Pictures of Rapunzel hooked up to IVs and monitors, a faint beeping signaling her grip on life. Rapunzel losing hair again, her frightened eyes looking to him as history repeated itself. Her fear struck him the hardest. When she was small it was so easy to reassure her that everything would be fine. Now, it wouldn't be so simple. Jack flipped over on his side, reassuring himself that for now she was still healthy. He watched her face crumple up as she mumbled something, the only recognizable sound being his name. His eared pricked up as she repeated his name before calming down, a small smile playing on her lips. Jack smiled before taking her hand in his and finally giving into his exhaustion.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The blare of the alarm only sounded for a second before Jack silenced it. The clock read 6:45 AM. A truly ungodly time of day. Exhausted, he disentangled himself from the bed, conscious of Rapunzel's still sleeping figure. _Well at least she can get some rest. She's going to need it._ Jack grabbed his scrubs before heading to the bathroom. In the mirror the bags under his eyes showed the evidence of his few hours of sleep. Disgruntled, he sat on the counter before methodically brushing his teeth. The smell of mint strummed up old memories that he didn't dare touch.

** The image of a slight girl, flitting about the hospital. Always smiling, always handing out lollipops when the other doctors weren't looking. For an oral surgeon, she sure did indulge a sweet tooth. It was always like Christmas when she visited the emergency room on call. She'd repaired dozens of injuries along with the commonplace procedures, but she never showed her exhaustion. She would stay at the hospital for 36 hours straight, simply taking 3 hour naps during the slow hours of the morning, huddling up on the couch in the nurse's lounge. The smell of her perfume would follow her down the hall like a bizarre route through candyland. Her smile alone could make you melt, but it was her eyes that gave you pause. They were so colorful, so vibrant, a welcome sight during the night shifts. But with the good, inevitably came the bad. The image of her eyes and her smile dissolved into images of the wound, the gaping, gushing wound that wouldn't stop bleeding from beneath his hands. The other doctors were screaming, trying to get the hospital on lockdown to contain the terror. The sight of her blood staining her bleach white lab coat burned itself into Jack's retinas. By the time that the police arrived he had already shot himself and Jack was left, voice cracking, throat rasping, trying to get someone, anyone to help her. It was too much blood. He **_**knew**_** it was too much blood. She watched his panic and gently put her hand over his, an encouraging smile telling him that it was okay. That this is how it should be. Her eyes never left his face as the light drained from them. Jack closed her eyelids, smearing blood on them in the process before he removed his hands from the wound and just sat next to her body. The emptiness he felt then was never equaled. He sat against the nurse's counter and brought in his knees. Police swarmed the area and doctors came out of the patients rooms that they had locked themselves into. Everyone looked at Jack but knew better than to ask him to move. It was so long ago, but he still remembered trying to scrub the blood from his hands. The paranoia lingered longer than the smell did. **

The sound of the front door closing brought Jack out of his head. He spit into the sink before leaving the bathroom. A note was stuck to the door that read:

_Had to go to class._

_ Thanks for everything. _

_ I'll see you tonight.___

Jack plucked the note from the door and threw it out on his return to the bathroom. He jumped into the shower still trying to rid his thoughts of the ghosts. It always twisted his gut the way they would invade his mind and just discolor everything around him. Now Rapunzel's mother was on the long list of people who suffered untimely deaths. The number of people he'd seen pass away was daunting enough to make him wonder if his presence alone had this effect. Laughing at himself he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair before turning off the water and half-heartedly drying off. He pulled on his scrubs before running a hand through his hair and leaving for work, a silent prayer that today would be more uneventful than the last.

Rapunzel awoke to the jerking motion that silenced the alarm. She heard him get up and pretended to sleep until she was sure that he was in the bathroom. Signaled by the running water, she dashed out of bed and put on her clothes from the day before. After pulling on her shoes she scribbled a note to Jack and stuck it to the front door. With a brief glance in the direction of the bathroom she left the apartment. Unwillingly her feet took her back around the corner to her house. All she had to do was go inside the vestibule, retrieve her book bag from the hallway and slip out the door again. Easy. Simple. The sight of the house stopped her. It seemed to be leering down at her, the windows looming impossibly high and the door in the shape of an awful scream that she could feel building at the back of her throat. This wasn't right. She shouldn't be here. Class. She had to get to class. Rapunzel shook her head, freeing it from any psychological horrors that might prevent her from getting her materials for school. She had worked too hard and too long for her to slip now. She was even taking summer courses to finish her nursing degree early. She couldn't afford a setback, no matter how understanding the professors would be. Her key slid in easily at her touch and the door opened silently. She walked in, scanning the all familiar sight as though it were a crime scene. A day's worth of dust coated everything. Despite the brightness of the morning, the ghost of her mother seemed to lurk everywhere. Rapunzel dashed to the hallway and upon finding her backpack, retreated to the front door only stopping to throw a backwards glance at her prison. With a sigh and shake of her head, she locked the door behind her and followed the familiar path to school.

Jack yawned through his shift, fully aware of his exhaustion. The kids were moody and unresponsive to his suggestions of tag or catch so he had some free time. Every so often he would catch himself looking up at a clock, counting down the hours until Rapunzel would arrive. He could already picture her back at that little desk sorting through files. Yesterday felt like a lifetime ago. Yesterday had changed everything in his life. It always revolved around her, but yesterday really sealed his fate, and he was tired of pretending. If she loved him he was ready to love her back with all the force he could muster. If she didn't, then she would have the best friend that he could possibly be. If she didn't want him to be a part of her life…

Jack sat down at her desk and glanced at the unfinished work she had left. He sorted through the papers and started auditing the files. After a couple files he looked up at the clock, shocked that only 5 minutes had passed. No wonder she wanted to tear her hair out over this work. Bored already, he wandered through the corridors checking up on patients. People were always coming in and going out, a bad environment for those who got too attached too quickly. Except Emma. Emma was the ol' faithful of the hospital. She seemed to have taken up a permanent residence there. Ever since her Alzheimer's had gotten out of hand, she had been living there almost full time. She was always up for a good story, but she would tear up when she couldn't tell you one of her own. Her disease had progressed to the point where she couldn't correctly remember her family members. The worst part is that her eyes would light up at the memory of you, but she couldn't get past the hint of the memory. She had just enough recollection to give herself the memory of happiness. That was probably why Jack spent so much time talking to her. She didn't care about his past or his name, just about the person he was right then.

Jack swung open the door to see Emma sweetly sipping a ginger ale and watching a noisy game show on the television. Her gap-toothed smile greeted him and he sat down on the bed next to her, to see what she was watching.

"It's a good one, today," she informed him. "I never would have known how much a bag of peanuts cost."

"Aw sure you would have, Emma. You're a whiz at pricing things. I bet you could give them a run for their money."

"Oh you, always entertaining these grand thoughts about little ol' me." Emma sweetly patted his arm before returning to the show.

"Oh come on, you could! I really mean it."

"Never mind that it's a memory game."

"It's not a memory game. It's a guessing game. Do you really think anyone memorizes the price of toothpaste?"

Jack gave her a smug grin that made her giggle.

"Oh boy if you were my age we would have gotten into loads of trouble."

"Funny, Emma. How old are you?"

"A lady never reveals her age."

"Okay, well I'm 300 years old. So I'm the old one here."

Emma just laughed and shook her head, the ginger ale fizzing happily in her hand. One of the residents swung their head in the door, and smiled at the scene. Jack waved, Dr. Swanson was one of the best in the entire hospital.

"Sorry Jack, but we're going to need to steal Emma away from you for a little bit."

"That's alright, I better go see if any of the kids are up and moving."

"Slow day?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Jack hopped off the bed and swung an encouraging smile over his shoulder at Emma.

"I'll see you around, Emma!"

"Alright. Take care of yourself," she replied, still watching the show.

Jack walked down the hall before looking up at the clock. Still hours left before Rapunzel arrived. Frustrated, he got on the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. Once there he found himself tracing the path that they had taken the day before. The smell of the plants soothed him as he sat down on the bench, grateful to get away from everything for a little while. Exhausted, he leaned his head back and within minutes, felt himself drifting off. Without complaint, he gave into the dreams that sprung up before him.

Rapunzel scribbled down notes, uncomprehensive of the meaning attached to the various names and symptoms she scrawled in her notebook. She just had to get through 10 more minutes and then she could break for lunch. An expectant silence filled the air, leaving the space where the teacher's droning voice usually stood, completely empty. Rapunzel looked up from her notes long enough to see that everyone was looking at her. Her stomach instantly dropped.

"I'm sorry what was the question?" She asked, hoping that it had nothing to do with what they were currently learning.

The teacher sighed before repeating herself. "What are the signs of cardiac arrest?"

Rapunzel froze. She looked down in horror at her notebook and then up at the screen displaying the answers. A jagged breath raked across her throat, her vision losing focus. She shook her head in disbelief before grabbing her back pack and leaving the room with a rushed apology. Legs weren't swift enough to distance her from the scene. The answers. They were all right there. They were a day too late, but they were there. Suddenly she could see each sign, a glaring red behind her eyelids. Her mother collapsing, turning pale. No breathing, no pulse. No one to save her. Rapunzel impatiently wiped a tear from her eye as she ran to the bathroom.

Jack felt the familiar buzz in his pocket and fished out his phone. A single word on his screen was enough to make him run from the hospital without so much as a goodbye to the lady at the front desk.

"Help."


End file.
